Memories
by Lady Anuradha
Summary: Even a year after everything that had happened, Ponyboy still wishes he could just forget it all. What happens when he gets his wish?
1. A Blow to the Head

Title: Memories

Chapter One: A Blow to the Head

Disclaimor: If you think I own Outsiders you are extremly thick and need mental help as soon as possible.

* * *

Pony's POV 

"Hey greaser." A voice drawled behind me and I froze. One would think after all these years of fighting between the Socs would come up with a better line then that. I was kind of surprised that that was the first thought that popped into my head. I was hanging out with Two Bit way to much.

I turned around slowly, hooking my thumbs into my pockets, trying to look tough. But I could feel my heart speed up as my eyes fell onto the three muscular guys surrounding me. Shit, this wasn't good.

It was like they could smell my fear; I could tell by the way they were grinning. One of them moved forward. He was a tough looking Soc with fire red hair and a matching t-shirt. "Scared little greaser." He said his voice full of sarcasm. "There's nothing to be scared of, we just want to have some fun."

"Fuck off." I said, keeping my voice low so they didn't notice my voice cracking. The words had little effect on them, and it just made them advance closer. My eyes flitted around, desperately looking for a way out of this. I could not get jumped; I wouldn't let it happen again.

One went to grab my arm and I took off like a bullet from a gun, putting a good distance between the three guys before they noticed I had moved. But I could here there shouts and pounding feet as they started after me. They weren't giving up without a fight.

I tore around the corner and leaped over the front of a parked car. If I could make it to the house I was safe. Jut a little bit farther. But my legs were already starting to complain from the work as I tried unsuccessfully to draw in breath. Damn, I really needed to stop smoking.

I used a light post on the street to make a sharp turn, my breath hitching in my throat as I caught sight of the house. Finally, a bit of luck. Maybe my life was finally turning around and things would go my way for a change. No more Darry yelling at me, no more getting beat up by Socs, no more death….

CRACK! It felt as if my head was torn off my neck as something hit it, hard. I felt the object shatter as it connected with my skull, showering me with tiny pieces of glass. The whole world spun beneath my feet as spots appeared in my vision. I barely realized I had stopped running or the fact that I was falling to the ground. I was so shocked I couldn't even think.

But as my skull connected with the ground the pain was suddenly there. I tried to draw breath to scream aloud, but it wouldn't come. I just toppled over into darkness and thought no more.

* * *

Darry's POV 

I looked up from the sports section, my brow furrowing as I looked at the clock. It was late, too late. A year ago I would have expected this from my youngest brother. But after Johnny and Dally's death and his illness, he had been amazingly on time. I loved not having to yell at him all the time. But it seemed like my luck had finally run out.

_Stay calm. _I told myself firmly. He is only a half hour late, just relax. It was the first week of summer after all, and he had been so good. Maybe he had met some friends, went to get a drink and had lost track of the time. Any minute now he would come bursting through that door, shouting apologies, ready for a shouting match with me.

Wouldn't he be surprised if I understood?

The look I imagined on Pony's face was good enough to settle my nerves. I turned back to the newspaper in front of me and began to read about the football game that had happened yesterday.

Give him fifteen minutes, and then go haul his ass home.

* * *

Soda's POV 

I said goodbye to Steve as we parted ways at the corner and began to slowly walk home. The night was perfect, and those few drinks at the bar were really helping me enjoy it. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and began to whistle as I walked. Not to far off I could here some kids shouting. Sounds like they were playing football.

As the house came into view I saw the lights were still on in the living room. I froze. This meant either one of two things. Either Darry wasn't home yet and Pony was waiting up for him, or it was the other way around. Neither option was a good one.

I threw open the door and almost fell on my ass on the porch as Darry suddenly appeared in front of my face, his eyes blazing. I heard him mutter a 'damn' as he reconized me, and then he went back to pacing back and forth in the livngroom. It was what he did when he was in a very, very bad mood.

I closed the door behind me firmly and took in my oldest brother. His face was the perfect picture of rage. His hands were shoved into his pockets and looked like they would tear them off at any second. there was a deep crease in his forehead, and his eyebrows were drawn so close together it looked like he only had one

"Pony's not home yet, is he?" I said simply. Darry didn't even need to respond, I knew the answer. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as i plopped down on the couch. "When was he due home?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"A hour and a half ago." Darry said bluntly.

Inwardly I groaned, this was not good. "Have you heard from Two Bit, he could be there." Darry shook his head and I gave up with the talking. I had run out of ways to defend my brother's absence and knew we would just have to wait until he got home to find out what had happened.

Oh boy, what had my little brother gotten into this time?


	2. Realization From a Talk With the Dead

Title: Memories

Chapter Two: Realization From a Talk With the Dead

Author's Note: I apologies for the first chapter being so short, but it's just the way things worked out. If everyone hasn't figured it out by now this takes place a year after the book. Everything that happened in Outsiders took place in my story. But don't worry all you Dally and Johnny fans out there, I figured out a way for them to still have a part, as you will see in this chapter.

With that being said, please read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am just going to say that I don't own the Outsiders in each chapter just so I can think of a fun way to say it each time. Unfortunately my brain is already low on ways, so I am already ruining my fun……..

Pony's POV

_"Always knew you had a thick head kid, but I didn't want you to go and test my theory." A voice said from above me, making me look up. A pair of blazing blue eyes starred back at me, flashing as the guy gave me a cheeky grin. He had an elfish face and the ears of a lynx. He wore his hair so long it stuck out in the back and fell over his forehead, the brown strands a big contrast to his skin. _

_"Shut up." I murmured from my place on the ground, squinting my eyes as another stab of pain went through me head. "I'm really not in the mood." _

_Damn, where did I get this headache? Better yet, where was I? I looked past the guy standing right in front of me and stared at the surrounding area. There was nothing, literally. All I could see was an endless, inky blackness. It was as if I had started walking I would never get anywhere. Of course for me to start walking my head would have to stop throbbing and my legs would have to want to move. _

_"Cleary." The guy laughed, taking a long drag from the cigarette he was smoking. He held it like an expert, making it look almost like an art. "Damn kid, you got a fucking bottle thrown at you. That hasn't even happened to me, and I was the one who lived in New York for a good chunk of my life." He laughed again as if he had been funny. _

_"Shut up." Was all I could think of to say. My head was hurting to much to do too much thinking, and it was already protesting from me just being awake. I raised a shaky hand to my head. My fingers touched my forehead and the tips of my bangs. I pulled back when I realized my hand was getting wet. My pale skin was covered in bright red blood. _

_"You'll be okay." The guy who was still standing above me said simply. He was looking at my wound as if it was a paper cut. I would have been offended, but somewhere deep inside those blue eyes I could see sympathy "Well, what I mean is it's not bad enough to kill you." _

_"Great." I said sarcastically. "Does this mean I have to listen to you talk more?" _

_The guy shot me a glare and was about to retort when a voice interrupted him. "Can't yah leave him alone, he's in a bad enough shape as it is." _

_Another face appeared in my vision, except this one was crouching over me and giving me a sad expression with big, puppy dog eyes. His whole appearance reminded me of a sad, scarred little puppy who had gotten lost in a big crowd of people after his owner kicked him out of the house. He was clearly younger then the other one, and if he would have stood properly he probably would have been shorter too. He gave me a soft smile as I starred up at him, pushing away a few strands of jet black hair as he did. "Hey Pony, long time no see." _

_I stared at him blankly. _

_"You got yourself into a mess of trouble, as usual." He said, smiling as if it was an inside joke we always shared. "I would get that head of yours checked out if I were you." _

_My head, which was still throbbing, was working furiously. I kept looking and looking, but after a few moments I realized that what I was searching for wasn't theret. An odd twisting sensation gripped my stomach with that thought and my heart gave a painful lurch. I opened my mouth and asked the one thing that had been bugging me ever sense I had found myself laying here talking to the blonde haired kid. _

_"Who are you?" _

_Both boys stared down at me in shock. "What did you just say?" The blonde finally whispered. _

_"I said, who are you?." I repeated, more firmly this time. I was frowning, and could feel unease settling in my settling in. _

_"Pony it's us." The younger one said, sounding frightened. "You know-." _

_"No I don't." I said, cutting him off as I looked away. I was still searching my brain, but I couldn't find a single memory of them. In fact, my past and present was a complete blank. It was as if this very moment in time had been the only thing I had ever experienced. I couldn't even remember how I had gotten here. _

_"Shit." The blonde haired one cursed, throwing his cigarette to the ground. "You got hit worse then I thought. Your memory must be gone." _

_"Well I could've told you that." I shouted. I was really flustered now. It's the weirdest sensation, not having a single memory. "I can't even remember my name." I looked back up at the two when I realized I had said that last sentence out loud. _

_The blonde one was giving me a serious look, his eyebrows furrowed together and his arms crossed over his muscular chest. The other one was starring at me with great apprehension and a bit of fear in his gaze. He reached out a hand to touch me but I pulled away, staring at him wearily. _

_The blonde one looked hurt as he pulled his hand back. I tried to apologize, tried to explain that I had no clue why I was doing this, but nothing would come out. But he seemed to get the picture because he gave me a small smile and sad sadly. "It's Ponyboy Curtis, and make sure you don't forget it." _

_I nodded dumbly. Ponyboy, Ponyboy Curtis. My heart sunk when it didn't ring a bell. _

_The blonde one stood and dusted off his jeans before turning away. The black haired kid had already started walking into the darkness, and when I looked at the back of his head he gave me a half hearted wave without even turning around. _

_"We have to go, okay Ponyboy?" The blonde haired one said sadly. "Please, you have to get your memories back. If you don't…." His voice trailed off as he sighed and turned away. "We'll be watching." _

_I tried to call out to him but my mouth was suddenly refusing to work. My limbs were very heavy and refused to respond when I tried to move them. My head was spinning as the ground fell away, and when I hit the ground the bright sunlight blinded me and I had to clamp my eyes shut. _


	3. Little Town

Title: Memories

Chapter Three: Little Town

Author's note: Just to let you all know we won't be hearing from Johnny and Darry for a few chapters. I want to get everything set up with Pony before we take a look at the rest of the gang. I hoped everyone liked the dream in the last chapter. I always loved Dally and Johnny and Dally, but there deaths are such a big part of Hinton's book, plus my own story.

Here's the next chapter, and please review.

Disclaimer: If you set the police on me for using Hinton's ideas I will send my army of giant rabbits to kick your butt! I am not getting anything out of this, okay!

Pony's POV

When I could trust my eyes again I slowly opened them, blinking several times to get used to the light. I was starring up at a clear blue sky, and was laying on a very hard, rocky ground. My brain was extremely foggy, and there was this dull throb that felt like someone was using my head for a drum.

I groaned and forced myself to sit up. My body protested this motion greatly but I told it to shut up. I was next to a large, dirt rode which was surrounded by tall grass with a few trees dotted here and there. For as far as my eyes could see there was nothing, no one. Not that it would really matter, because I still couldn't remember shit.

Well, that was no longer true. I now had the memories of that odd dream. I could picture the two guys I had talked to very vividly. But the only information I could recall about them was from what I had learned talking from them, and that wasn't much.

"_It's Ponyboy Curtis, and make sure you don't forget it."_

Ponyboy that was my name. It was an odd name, but I felt no hate attached to the word. I felt nothing about it. It was just another name and meant squat to me. But I had a feeling a name would come in handy, if I was ever going to see anyone ever again.

I forced myself to my feet, and after testing my weight on unsteady legs I started off. My head pounded with each step, but I knew if I didn't move I would die next to this road, and no one would find me till by bones had been bleached white by the sun.

That thought kept me moving for two hours, according to the watch I realized I had on my wrist about ten minutes after I had started walking. The scenery didn't change much as I ambled along, but when I reached a spot where the road connected with another I seemed to reach a place where people had been recently. The road looked more used at least.

My suspicions were confirmed when I spotted something up ahead that wasn't trees. As I got closer I figured out they were building scattered around the road up ahead. Good, a town meant people, and people meant pain killers.

When I reached the first building I quickly realized I shouldn't get my hopes to high. The place wasn't deserted, but it might as well have been. I spotted enough people to count them off on one hand as I walked along, and none of them even glanced up from what they were doing to look at me.

When I reached the center of the place I came to a halt and spun on in a circle, taking the place in. There was a diner, and inn, a store, a post office, a bar, five houses and ten parked cars. That was about it. Can you say 'middle of nowhere'?

I was just about to give up hope and keep on walking when I heard shouts coming from a farm out in the distance. The place was bordered by a wooden fence, and in the very center the large field was a barn house and a regular house. I hopped the fence, or more of fell over it because I was so tired, and went to take a look.

The noise that I head was singing, and was coming from the barn. It was a nice sound, one that made you want to tap your foot and dance to the music. But the last of my energy was leaving me and all I wanted to do was sit down. I spotted a rocking chair on the front porch, which was shaded by a roof built over it, and I sank into it gratefully.

I didn't really care that I had no clue where I was and whose farm I was on. I didn't care that some crazy ax murder could come out right now and chop me to bits. All that mattered was that I was sitting, and I was in the shade.

I closed my eyes, and as I heard the barn door swing open I drifted into dream land.

Nick's POV

My chores finally done, I decided I deserved a drink from Sarah's pub. I tossed my working gloves onto the table and leaned the pitchfork up against the wall before throwing the door open and walking outside.

The bright sunshine was a big contrast to the cool interior of the barn and for a moment I was blinded. But my eyesight returned quickly, and as it did I took off my cowboy hat (yeah, you heard me, cowboy hat!) and wiped my brow. Returning the hat to my head I turned toward the house to change out of my clothes before I went to town.

It was then I saw him.

He looked a real mess. His clothes were torn and really dirty. His skin was covered in dust and I could already tell he would have a nasty sunburn. From what I could see of his hair it was matted, and the rest of it was covered in blood, which was already beginning to dry. There was a large gash on his forehead and several smaller cuts on his face and neck. His head was slumped forward in a defeated sort of way, and if his chest wasn't rising and falling I would have sworn he would have been dead.

"Fuck." I swore aloud and raced over to him, lifting his head gently when I reached him. He let out a soft groan and opened his eyes slightly. His brown eyes looked up at me as if he really wasn't seeing me. Then he let out another groan and slumped forward, completely unconscious.

I frowned, and then called out. "Alan, get your ass out here!"

I heard the screen door bang and my brother appeared on the porch. My brother and I looked a lot alike. We had the same copper colored hair, the same hazel eyes, and the same cat like appearance. But Alan had more muscle then I would ever had, and also had a good three inches on me.

"Who's this?" He asked, spotting the kid in the rocking chair. His eyes got wide as he noticed the cut on his head.

"Don't know." I said simply. "Found him out here when I left the barn. Don't know how long he's been there." Alan and I exchanged confused looks, then I motioned to him with the hand that wasn't keeping the boy from falling face first out of the chair. "Come on, let's get him into the house and cleaned up."


	4. Why Does This Happen to Him?

Title: Memories

Chapter Four: Can't Lose Another

Author's Note: Hello readers, here is yet another chapter! I thank all who has read and I especially thank the ones who have reviewed.

FeistyFeist: The gang is in this chapter, hopefully you like it! Thanks for the review!

OhhGeezz: Thanks for reviewing. I'll make sure to keep updating!

As always please read, review, and enjoy my fanfic!

Disclaimer: Remember the bunnies; always remember the mutant bunnies….

Soda's POV:

I hit the couch with a loud thump, letting out a breath of air as I did. My whole body ached, my head was pounding, and my eyes just wanted to close so I could get some sleep, but I knew I couldn't. I was the first one home, and I had to hear if the rest of the gang had found anything out about Ponyboy….

My throat tightened at the thought of my youngest brother and I rolled over, bearing my face in the pillow. How could he be gone? Everything had been going so well. Darry and Pony had been fighting a lot less. True they both still got on each others nerves but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. Pony had picked up his grades in school. I still didn't get why he gave a damn about them, but it did make Darry happy. And Pony's dreams had happened less and less. It had been weeks sense the last one.

But I should have known this wouldn't last forever. Something had to come along and send us all spiraling down to hell. If it wasn't Johnny killing someone or Dally dying it was Pony going missing….Damn my chest hurt every time I thought about it.

I heard the front door slam and I bolted up just in time to see a very pissed off Two Bit stomp into the kitchen, get a glass of chocolate milk, and then stomp back into the living room. He flopped down on the floor next to the couch, downed the glass in one gulp, and then tried to glare a hole through the blank television.

You didn't find anything did you?" I asked, my heart sinking.

Two Bit shook his head back and forth, making his rusty colored hair fall even more out of place. When he turned to look at me his grey eyes were almost unrecognizable. There were large circles under his eyes and his skin was an ashen pale Gone was the good natured glow and teasing attitude; Two Bit looked on the verge of a breakdown. I knew I didn't look that much better.

"I checked every damn ally, bar, and hangout I could think of." He said, his voice a little horse. "But there was no sign of him. I couldn't even find anyone who had talked to him before he went up and disappeared." He turned and slammed the glass on the ground so hard I was surprised it didn't break in his hands. "I swear, put a fucking leash on that brother of yours. I can't take another one of his disappearing acts.

I nodded in agreement, then reached forward and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulders. When Two Bit looked up I gave him one of my legendary grins, and of course he grinned right back.

The door slammed again, making a both jump, and Steve appeared, looking ragged and out of breath before he slumped into Darry's chair. I gave him a hopeful look, but when our eyes met the look there scattered any hope I had.

"Sorry buddy." He said softly. "I ran all over town, almost went into Soc territory, but I couldn't find nothing."

I fell back onto the couch, feeling defeated. No leads, no explanation. At least there wasn't a body this time. I couldn't help but grin at my morbid humor. How I haven't gone insane yet is beyond me.

The door slammed for the third time that night, and briefly I wondered how it was still on its hinges from the abuse it took from this family. But all my thoughts were dashed when my brother appeared into the room, throwing his burden onto the floor as he did. I couldn't believe my eyes, but I knew I wasn't seeing things as Two Bit swore and said. "Damn Darry, you bring the oddest things home. Whatcha doing lugging home a Soc?"

Darry's POV

My eyes could have burned through metal as a glared down at the crumpled, shaking figure before me. I could barely here the gang's comments as a grabbed the boy's shirt front and hulled him up till he was resting his weight on his toes. "Now tell them what you told me." I said firmly, my voice so full of pent up anger it made the kids eyes go wide and his breath hitch in his throat.

I dropped him to the floor again and folded my arms across my chest, waiting. The Soc ran a shaking hand through his fire red hair, and then stuttered. "We were over here looking for some fun, a good laugh. Damn, I didn't think it would get this out of hand. When we saw the greaser we thought we could ruff him up a bit, then let him limp home. Would make us look real tough. He looked like such a wimp anyways, and was so stupid to be walken by himself."

I heard Two Bit growl at these words and he went to get up, but Soda grabbed him. My brother's eyes were as probably as cold as mine were right now, but I knew he wanted this information. Besides, I had already given the guy a few bruises and there was plenty more where that came from after he gave us what we needed.

The boy with the fire red hair continued, starring pointedly down at his hands clenched in his lap. "But then he ran, never seen someone run so fast. Kevin didn't want to look weak so we tore after him. When we figured out we were never going to catch him I stopped, thinking it was over. But…" He paused, his breath coming in short gasp as his face turned even paler.

I didn't wait for him to continue. I had already gotten the whole story out of him, and what he had said made my blood run cold. "The damn Socs threw a bottle at him and got a direct hit to the head. It must have been bad, because he took me to the place where they ran Pony down." My own voice was breaking now. I couldn't keep going. Instead I grabbed the kid by the shirt again and dragged him outside, the rest of the gang following.

As I walked I noticed that I was having trouble seeing. At first I couldn't' figure out why, but when I noticed my face was getting wet I realized I was crying. I quickly forced the tears back, where they began to burn a hole through my heart. This couldn't be happening again, not to my baby brother.

When we reached the spot I pointed down at the dirt. Even in the fading light from the setting sun the other three could see what I was point at. I heard Two Bit swear like a sailor, Steve let out a low curse, and I could almost hear Soda stop breathing. There in the dry ground was a dark, rust colored stain. All of us knew blood when we saw it. Around it was dark colored brown glass, like that from a Pepsi bottle.

For a moment none of us moved, not even the Soc. Then suddenly I felt the Socs shirt ripped from my hands. I turned to stop him from running, but froze in shock. Soda had the kid by the throat and was shaking him violently. "What the hell did you do with my brother!?" He screamed at the top of his voice. His eyes looked murderous, the expression on his face wild. When the Soc didn't answer Soda pulled back a fist and slammed it so hard into the Socs face he was thrown backward, knocked out cold before he hit the ground.

Soda seemed to deflate after that, and I had to run forward to catch him as he staggered. He turned and buried his face into my olive t-shirt, and I could feel his sobs rack his body as my shirt began to get wet. "Why does this always happen to him." He chocked out. "Why."

I couldn't answer my brother's question. All I could do was hold him tightly as tears ran down my face. I barely noticed Two Bit walk over to the still form of the Soc and bend over him. I thought what he was doing was pointless, but then I saw the Socs lips move, and a grim smile appeared on Two Bit's face.

"Hey guys, the moron here just spit out some worth while information. Listen to this."

Author's Note: Ha, cliffy! My first one in the story. Better come back and read or else you'll never find out what happens.


	5. No Explanation

Title: Memories

Chapter Five: No Explanation

Pony's POV

"_It's Ponyboy Curtis, and make sure you don't forget it."_

"I won't." I murmured to myself as I woke. For the first time in a long while I was actually peaceful as I came from sleep. I had no aches, no pains, and was laying on something very comfortable. How the hell had this happened?

I became fully aware of the world around me and sat up in the bed, the warm blankets falling into my lap. I was in a small room with a single window that was providing all the light. In the corner there was a desk and next to that there was a bookshelf stuffed with books. Other then the bed that was the only furniture. There were two doors, both closed.

I was beginning to hate waking up and having no clue where I was, or who I was for that matter. I growled low in my throat and threw the covers completely off me and stood. I noticed I wasn't in the clothes I had been. The shirt that was a little too big for me was clean, and so were the pajama bottoms. The last thing I noticed was there were bandages around my head, and there was only a slight throb from my injury.

This was one good thing, but that left me full of questions. Who had done all this? I knew I wasn't going to find the answers in here so I strolled to the first door and pulled it open, walking into the closet and shutting the door behind me before I realized where I was.

Damn.

I quickly got out and tried the second door, sighing in relief when I found myself in a small hallway. There were two doors on the right side, two on the left. At the end of the hallway I could see another room with a couch and another bookshelf in it. I decided to go there.

The living room had very little when it came to furniture. The couch was a rusty color and shabby. The television looked old and dusty. The books on the shelf looked worn and torn. But the large, stone fireplace that everything was centered around made the place look homey.

The next room over seemed to be a very small dining room which furniture consisted of a table and four chairs, and then a small kitchen. There was a front door between the adjoining rooms, and outside I could here that same singing again. As I stepped outside I figured out it was once again coming from the barn. I wasn't so tired or out of it anymore, so now I could actually tell the person was singing words.

I feel no shame

I'm proud of where I came from

I was born and raised in the boondocks

One thing I know

No matter where I go

I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks

And I can feel

That muddy water running through my veins

And I can hear that lullaby of a midnight train

It sings to me and it sounds familiar

I walked over to the large barn door and saw the back of a head covered with a cowboy hat bobbing around a horse, grooming it. When I drew closer the guy stopped singing and turned to look at me. He gave me a big grin, showing a mouth full of pearly white teeth. His hazel eyes glinted even in the half darkness of the barn.

"Glad to see you're awake." He tossed the brush in his hand aside and walked out of the stall. He offered me a hand which I took. His fingers were rough and calloused, but his grip was gentle. "Name's Nick, pleasure to meet yah."

"I'm Ponyboy Curtis." I said shakily. It was funny to introduce yourself when you were still a little uncertain if that was your real name. Nick gave me a funny look, but shrugged off my name and made no comment.

"That's a nasty cut yah got yourself." He said, walking back over to the horse to give it food and water. "How'd yah get it? Get attacked or somethin?"

"I really don't know." I said blankly. "Don't really remember."

"Must've been bad, however you got it." Nick said blankly. "Where yah from Ponyboy?" He glanced over at me over the horse that was gobbling down the food. "Maybe my brother and I could help yah get back."

I starred blankly at him, not sure what to say. "That's nice of you," I finally said. "But I don't' think you can help me."

"Why not?" Nick asked, giving me a curious look. He absently scratched the horse behind the ears. Oh boy, this was going to be tough. "Is it far away or something, 'cause we don't mind a bit of a drive? Would be kind of mean of us to just sort of leave you here stranded."

"It could be far away." I said with a shrug, moving to scratch my head but lowering my hand as I remembered the bandage. Nick gave me a funny look and I added. "It could be close by, I have no clue. See, it's hard to know exactly where your home town is when you don't remember its name, or anything else for that matter."

Nick was giving me a funny look again. "Really?" I nodded "You don't remember nothing?" I nodded again, feeling like a bobble head. He let out a low whistle and walked out of the stall again. "Damn, that must suck, really sucks. Can't imagine not having any memories. Explains why we found yah sitting on our front porch." He took of his hat and ran long fingers through his coppered colored hair. "Well, if that's the case, you'll just have to stay with us."

I looked at him in surprise. "Seriously, you would do that?" I asked. Nick gave me another toothy grin; damn, how could anyone's teeth be so white?

"You bet." He said simply. He walked past me out the door and I followed him to a well behind the house. I helped him pump water which he used to wash his hands and face, then took a long drink. After I helped myself he straightened up, put the hat back on his head, cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered loudly. "Hey Alan, kids awake; come over here and meet him!"

"One would think you would just come and find me instead of shouting each time yah wanted me!" A voice called from behind the house, farther out in the fields.

"But that's no fun." Nick called back, laughing as he did.

A tall, muscular man rounded the corner of the house, glaring daggers at Nick. His hair was the same rust tint as Nicks though a bit shorter, his eyes the same hazel color. I guessed they were brothers or something. Though this guy was much more intimidating then Nick. I had only spent five minutes with Nick and I already felt like we were best friends. But I had a feeling it would be different with this guy. The guy sure was tall, and looked like he could beat up anyone.

_Like Superman…. _A small voice said in the back of my head. My eyes grew wide. Where the hell had that thought come from? I was so preoccupied with my own thoughts. I mentally chased after it, but that's all there was. A memory of two guys who had visited me in a dream and the thought that this guy looked like Superman; god my life sucked right now. I didn't notice the other two guys standing around me had been talking.

Nick waved a hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my trance. "You okay?" He asked seriously.

I nodded dumbly and turned to look at the tall guy again. He was looking at me strangely with one of his eyebrows quirked. Would have looked comical if he wasn't so big. "Name's Alan, see you already met my brother." He said gruffly.

"Yeah." I said, feeling stupid at my loss of words. "Thanks, thanks for the help and everything. Would be in serious shit if I didn't have your help me out."

Alan shrugged and turned away, walking into the house without another word. "He does that." Nick whispered to me. "I think his brain sometimes short circuits and he forgets what he's doing."

"I heard that!" Alan shouted from the house.

Nick just laughed at Alan's yelling. I couldn't see why, Alan had sounded pretty serious. "Come on in and have some lunch, yah missed breakfast. Alan may not look it, but he's a good cook." He began to walk into the house, and I slowly followed. Wonder what we were having? For some strange reason I had a serious craving for chocolate right about now.


	6. Folks

Title: Memories

Chapter Six: Folks

Author's Note: Yippee, I got more reviews. I always love getting new reviews, especially when my viewers give me advice. I hope you know I do take everything you say into account.

Like for instance: Scorpionic I love the fact that someone noticed I use spell check. I hate stories that are really good, but every other word is spelled wrong. I try to go over my chapters when I'm having writers block and simply fix stuff I missed. I like to have a lot of characters point of view because it lets you see both sides of the story. But I decided your right, and it is getting a little confusing. I think I'll try just having one person's POV per chapter. Can you tell me if that helps any?

Smile because it happened, glad you noticed that thing about Nick and Alan. I did base them a lot off of Soda and Darry because I felt that would make Pony easily comfortable with them. The two will be staying around for a long while, and you will soon see they have there own problems to add to the story.

And to all my fans, thanks for reading. I will update as fast as possible; which is pretty easy sense I love writing this. Keep sending in your reviews and opinions, and enjoy the next chapter!

"Dude, slow down! I'm kinda afraid you're gonna eat the plate on accident." I looked up from my toasted cheese sandwich and swallowed a mouthful. Nick was cocking an eyebrow at me, trying to look serious but failing miserably. I gave him a small grin and tried to slow down some, but it was hard. I was so hungry I could have eaten four more of these, and I had already had three.

Alan just rolled his eyes then gave Nick a punch on the shoulder. "Leave him be. He could eat the plate for all I care, it's kinda ugly anyways." He then turned to me and put another sandwich on my plate, which I dove at. "Besides," Nick continued. "Your manners aren't much better."

"Are to." Nick said indignantly. Alan gave him a 'yeah right' look, and finished off his milk.

I couldn't help but grin. This was really nice, just sitting here at the dining room table eating together. It felt so normal after the chaos I had just been through. And touched the bandages on my head and frowned slightly. How had this all happened?

"You really don't remember a thing, do you?" Alan said seriously from his place at the sink.

I shook my head. "No, and it bugs the shit out of me."

"Don't worry about it." Nick said calmly, tossing his dishes into the water and getting soap on Alan's shirt. He ducked the punch from Alan then added. "I bet your folks are looking for you right now. Just give it a few days and you'll be back with your family again."

I nodded my head slowly, Nick's words making me think of something. "I hope your parents don't mind me being here; I really don't want to be any trouble."

My words made both of the brother's faces fall. Nick turned away silently and began to dry the dishes with a towel while Alan's face turned as cold as stone. I gave them a confused look, and Alan said. "My parents died when about five years ago, when I was nineteen. There was a fire at a nearby barn and they went to help…." He couldn't seem to be able to finish.

"I'm sorry." I really meant it. It must have been terrible to lose your parents. "How were you guys able to stay together."

"We weren't for the first couple of years." Nick said simply. "I was only twelve and Alan was in college so he couldn't take care of me. I was put in foster care, and when Alan finished with school he convinced the government to let him be my guardian. That was only a year ago." He gestured in the air like he was waving away a fly. "My parents were really prepared. They had money put away and had made sure that Alan got all this in the will. We take care of people's horse around here and I work in the bar that's in town, so it's not too hard when it comes to money."

I had no clue what to say so I just sort of stared down at my hands. They made it sound like it was nothing big, but I could tell it was. There talk of family made me wonder about mine. What were my parents like? Did I have any brother's or sisters? Did I live in a small town like this, or a big city? I was so deep in thought that I once again didn't notice Nick had been talking to me.

"Dude!" He shouted, making me jump. He laughed at the look on my face, throwing his head back almost comically. "I really hope that cut hasn't affected your hearing or something."

The mood from the previous conversation had disappeared and I felt myself relax. I got up and helped Nick dry the rest of the dishes as Alan mumbled something about work and disappeared. Nick sighed dramatically. "I swear, he works his ass off around here. I always got to keep an eye on him or one day he will work himself to death." He threw the towels aside and turned to me. "Want to go into town with me. My works done for the day and I can show you around."

The idea of getting out sounded good, and sense my head wasn't bothering me I agreed. Nick led me out the door and threw a gate, Alan shouting behind us. "Go easy on him! I don't want him passing out in front of the town or something."

"Nick just rolled his eyes. "Honestly, he makes it sound like I'm going to challenge you to a duel or something." We both laughed at this, and continued down the rode into the little group of buildings. There were more people out then when I had fist come through here, and now that I was walking with Nick they all seemed to notice us. We got a lot of 'hey' and 'hellos', and it seemed like every girl we passed wanted to talk with Nick. The guy seemed to love the attention, and would always tip his hat to the ladies, making them giggle and bat there eyelashes.

We walked over to the bar and went inside. Nick sat down at the bar and ordered us to beers. When he saw the look on my face he laughed. "Sarah knows I can handle beers, and she would never let me have too much anyways. That's how she runs the place. There are some guys around here who are not aloud to have a sip and they're in there thirties!"

When the drinks I downed half of mine. I was really thirsty from the walk here. Damn, it was hot! I couldn't see how Nick could stand it. I was happy enough to sip my drink and listen to Nick talk to the bar man about different things that had been happening around town. They were on the topic of crops when a man dressed up as a sheriff from those Wild West movies walked did and flopped down onto the bar.

"See your back." The bar man said coolly, retrieving a glass from under the bar and filling it with beer.

"And glad to be." The sheriff replied, taking the cold glass gratefully. He took of his dark sunglasses and downed the drink in one gulp. As the barman refilled the glass he said. "I hate going to that place but I have to report in every once and awhile. You should see the police station there, full to the brim with greasers and hoods."

My head suddenly started to hurt at the word 'greasers' and my hand flew to my temple. No one noticed, there attention was on the sheriff I as he continued. "The officers there are really worried. It seems something happened between the two groups there; the Soc's and greasers I'm always telling you about. It's gotten really tense around there and there expecting a fight to break out any day."

More pain, except greater this time. I clutched my head, biting back a groan. Why was this happening now?

"Do they know what happened?" Nick asked, sounding really interested.

The sheriff shook his head. "Nope, but that comes at no surprise. Kids in the big city are always looking for a fight. And it's not like its New York, so there isn't much to fight about."

My head was really hurting now. At the thought of New York I pictured the blonde kid from my dream. He was giving me a sly grin and was smoking another cigarette. Nick had finally noticed me and was giving me a concerned look.

"Can you just imagine living there?" The barman asked and the sheriff laughed. "I don't see how anyone could stand to stay in a place like Tulsa."

My head felt as if it had been split in two and I let out a loud scream. I fell of the stool and onto the floor, holding my head tightly as I heard shouts around me.

_Tulsa,_

_Greasers,_

_New York._

"_Come on kid." A sarcastic, familiar voice said. "It all means something. If you can't figure it out, were just going to have to have another chat."_

I screamed again as I was pulled into darkness, the last thing I remember was that someone was calling my name.

Author's Note: I have found out that I love to write cliffy's, so I wrote another. But don't worry, the next chapter is going to be answering the first cliff hanger I wrote. Review please and maybe I'll come out with the next chapter quickly.

I also just noticed, that if I do all that I have planned for this story, and I keep on at this rate, that this is going to be really long! Good new for you guys I guess.


	7. Tension and Regret

Title: Memories

Chapter Seven: Tension and Regret

Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and given me advice. I looked over my plot and it seems my story will be rated M in only two chapters near the end. I had made this story rated M to be safe, but I think I will be taking AddictionToFiction's advice and change it to T, and simply make a note in the chapters that go above that.

FeistyFeist's new review also made me want to talk about my two original characters for a moment. I got the idea for them when I was reading the Outsiders. It mentions how much Darry had to sacrifice to take care of Pony and Soda. He couldn't get to college or get a nice life like he had wanted. So that made me think "how different would it have been if he had made the other choice?". From this came Alan. Instead of taking care of his brother he finished college and got his diploma. This meant Nick had to deal with foster care and Alan didn't have to grow up as fast as Darry did.

I also changed the money situation for Nick and Alan. They have almost no problems when it comes to bills, and this takes another weight off Alan's shoulders that Darry has. This also means Nick doesn't have to work as hard as Soda does.

So in a way Nick and Alan are Soda and Darry, but not a copy and paste kind.

This chapter is the gang again, and has a lot of Darry and angst. Darry is one of my favorite characters, and I love it when we see how much we see how much he has to go through. This chapter also has my version of what happened at the Curtis household when Darry had hit Pony and Pony ran away. Keep reviewing and I will keep up this fast pace.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, rubbing my temples with my fingers to try to calm my headache. No such luck, though I didn't really deserve to have any. I let out a long sigh and let my hands drop to my sides and opened my eyes again. Even in the dim light in the living room I could still see the front door from my spot.

I let out a long sigh, silently begging the door to open and Pony to come walken through, but I knew that would never happen. I hadn't happened the last time either. It was so easy to remember, it had only been a year ago. My thoughts drifted and that memory seemed to play like a movie before my eyes.

_I stared down at my hand in surprise, watching in a state of shock as my palm turned red. I looked up to see Ponyboy on the ground, his eyes huge as he stared at me. My stomach twisted as I realized there was fear in his wide eyes. He was afraid of me. Really afraid of me._

"_Pony," I said slowly, afraid that one wrong move would make him explode. Before I could even move he was up and out the door. The kid had always been a fast runner. I got to the door before the screen slammed closed and shouted. "Ponyboy I didn't mean to…." But he couldn't hear me. He was already at the lot and no matter how much I screamed he didn't turn around._

_He was gone._

_My heart was being ripped out of my chest as my youngest brother disappeared into the darkness of the night. I was such an asshole! How could I hit him? No one in my family had ever hit my brother. To hit my brother was like running over a puppy and just leaving it dieing in the street. You couldn't stoop any lower._

_I felt myself sag from the great load on my shoulders and made a move to step outside. I had to find him, I had to beg him to forgive me. I would get down on my knees if I had to. He couldn't leave, I could lose someone else. But my feet were having a hard time of getting the concept of walking so I ended up stumbling back and ran into a familiar body._

_I felt comforting arms wrap around my shoulders, which were shaking violently. Soda whispered comforting nonsense into my ear as he guided me to my chair and sat me down. "You got to calm down Darry." He said softly, moving to rub the knots in my back, trying to get rid of the tension. "You and Pony are both just to riled up. Let him cool off and then we can go look for him. I bet if we talk he'll see you didn't mean it." His back rub wasn't helping as much as it used to, but the feeling of anything but this pain was a little comforting. _

"_I know you love him." Soda said. "And I know he loves you. You guys are just so different you let stuff get in the way of that. But deep down, I know he could never hate you." _

_I nodded slowly. I really wanted to believe what Soda said was true, but my mind wouldn't let me forget the look on Pony's face. I highly doubted that. I wouldn't blame Pony at all if he hated my guts. Soda sat with me for a couple of minutes, the told me he was going to take a nap and to wake him when Pony came back. He waited for me to nod like and then retreated to his room._

_I sat there for I don't know how long, starring at the door, begging it to open. I wanted Pony to come through and forgive me for the terrible thing I had done. Starring at the spot where he had fallen after I hit him I imagined him there. His skin was pale, making the red mark on his cheek stand out vividly. The look that had been in his eyes reminded me so much of Johnny when he got beat up bad by his parents._

_Dear god, what had I done?_

_I could no longer hold back the tears, and I silently let them fall down my face. I would wait for Pony to come home, would be right here when he came through that door. _

_I waited…_

_And waited._

_And waited some more._

_But my brother never came home, no matter how many nights I sat there. What had I had done had caused my brother to be part of a murder. He had to be in hiding because of me, had to be so far away from home because of me. I had failed my parents, I had failed the gang, and I had failed him._

I had done it again, I realized. I had failed him again. If I had just walked out that door when I noticed he had been late I would have seen my brother lying there in a pool of his own blood, at the mersey of those Socs. But I hadn't, and now he was gone again.

The tears were back, and I let the silently fall. I would do it again if I had to. I would stay up ever night till he came home, and then I would make amends. My brother had forgiven me once, and I begged that he would do it again.

It took me a while after I opened my eyes in the morning to figure out I had fallen asleep last night. I groaned and rubbed my face, trying to get my foggy brain to work. I could smell coffee in the kitchen and I walked toward the smell without much thought.

Sitting at the table was a tired looking Soda and Steve, who was sporting a black eye and a split lip. When he saw me Soda gave me a small smile and offered me a cup of coffee. I took it gratefully and turned my attention back to Steve. "What happened?" I asked wearily.

"Got jumped by a bunch of Socs." Steve said angrily, dabbing away some blood with a towel. "There were only two of them, but one had a good right hook."

I groaned. After the little red head brat had gotten away from us the word had spread throughout the city what had happened. Socs were furious that one of there kind had been treated like that by a bunch of no good greasers, and greasers and hoods alike had been mad that one of there kind had been up ducted. Some didn't even know us, but all of them felt like those Socs had crossed the line.

From this came all the tension, and from that tension fights had arisen. The greaser population had joined our side and were beating up any Soc they could get there hands on, trying to find information about what had happened to Pony. Well, at least that was the excuse some of them used. It wasn't going to do much good anyways cause they were going on the few facts we had.

Two Bit had gotten out of the Soc that after they had knocked out Pony one of the Socs, the kid named Kevin, had driven off in a red mustang with Pony in the trunk, saying something about 'finishing the job'. The red head had sworn he didn't know what had happened after that or where he had taken Ponyboy, and after a severe beating by the entire gang we believed him. We had thrown him into a dumpster by the drive in, and he must have made his way back to his side of town. Now the whole poor side of town was no on the search for that red mustang.

The Socs on the other hand weren't giving up without a fight. Greasers could no longer walk the streets alone or you would be jumped for sure. There were now rumbles breaking out too, and actual gangs were being formed. Tim Sheppered's gang had grown, and almost every night he was having a war with a gang from of Socs. The whole city had been turned upside down.

I was broken from my dark thoughts when Soda asked me. "Damn Darry, did you sleep at all last night?" I nodded my head, but I could tell Soda knew I was lying. "I found you out on the chair again. You have got to stop doing that, or else you'll end up in the hospital.

I opened my mouth to make a retort when the front door opened a kid I recognized from Tim Sheppard's gang walked in. "Sheppard sent me to tell you we found the Soc that took your brother." He said quickly, panting slightly. "I would get over there if I was you if yah want to get information out of him, because I think Tim's going to kill him."

My cup fell to the floor with a crash but I didn't stop to notice. I was running out the door and down the street, Soda and Steve right behind me. I had to get there before Sheppard did something rash. Killing Kevin was **my** job.


	8. Tulsa Talk

Title: Memories

Chapter Eight: Tulsa Talk

Author's Note: Thank you once again for more reviews, this is great! This is the longest chapter I have so far written, and there going to start getting longer. Just a note here so it doesn't' come up; there is no special reason Johnny is not in Pony's dream. I just wanted some Dally and Pony time alone.

Enjoy this chapter, the next one is one its way.

"_Come on Pony, you're the brains when it comes to our gang. How can you not get this kid?" The blonde haired guy said exasperatedly. I groaned, clutching my head. The pain had turned to a dull throb, but it was still making my vision spin._

"_Can't you leave me alone?" I asked tiredly. I half wondered where the other guy was. I preferred him to this one. At least he seemed nice and wasn't as pushy. "I was having a good time till these headaches started." I opened my eyes and glared up at him. "If that was your doing I swear I'll kill you." I was really sick of this._

"_Little late for that." The guy said sarcastically, taking a long drag from his cigarette. I gave him a confused look. Did this guy have fun making no sense? I had a feeling the answer was 'yes'. He ignored the look and continued. "But enough of this. Right now we have to talk about Tulsa."_

"_What about it?" I said simply. "Sounds like a bad place with a bunch of shitty hoods." I really didn't like the sound of that place. Sounded like a place where a guy could easily get his head cracked……Ah shit. "That's where I'm from, isn't it?" I groaned._

_The guy grinned toothily. "Now you're getting it. You bet, your Tulsa born and bred." _

_That scared me a little. I had only heard a few words from the sheriff, who I knew wasn't a good sheriff anyways because he had let two teenagers sit next to him and drink without batting an eye. But he had been worried about that place. He had said there would be a fight, and he hadn't sound surprised that something like that was going on._

_The guy was looking concerned at my silence, and when he spoke his voice tried to sound gentle. "You have to go there kid, that's where your family is. Your whole life is there. You may not remember it not, but with each new memory and massive headache is going to come some of that." He flicked his smoke away and turned to face me fully, folding his arms over his chest. He looked different without a cigarette, because I had always seen him with one. I had began to think of it as a trademark or something. I may not have any memories but I sure do have random thoughts! "Did you get any new memories this time?"_

_I thought for a minute. He was right, there was something. I could remember fear of walking alone at night, the tension that came with mustangs, and the sight of blood. I shivered. _

"_Well?" The guy asked expectantly. "Don't leave me hanging here!"_

"_No," I said shakily. "I don't really remember anything." I didn't know why I was lying, but I had a feeling that if the guy knew the truth he would keep pushing me. _

_The guy looked at me disbelievingly. "Remember Pony, you can't lie to me." He said seriously. "I'm going to let this go for now sense you been through a lot and I don't want you to go insane or something. But you can't run from this, or else all hell is going to break loose over there."_

_I didn't understand how me not going immediately back to Tulsa would make all hell break lose, but I nodded anyways. The guy turned and walked away, and this time I was glad to see him go. _

I guessed where I was even before I opened my eyes. I was back in that room in Nick and Alan's house, safely tucked under the sheets. My head was no longer hurting, but I was really tired. I looked over at the window across from me. The shades were drawn, but I could tell it was dark.

"You were asleep for the rest of the day." I heard a voice say from the desk and I turned to see Alan sitting there, reading a book by a light from a small lamp. He looked up and gave me a half smile, then marked his page and set the book down. "I think you should know you scared the shit out of half the town when you collapsed. Everyone saw Nick carry you back here, and so far they haven't shut up about it. This is the most interesting thing that has happened in ages."

I groaned and put a hand over my eyes. Just great. "Sorry about that. I started to remember stuff and my head felt like it exploded."

"Want to tell me what you remembered/" Alan asked seriously. His hands were clasped and he was leaning on his elbows which were resting on his knees. "I'm not really that deep, neither is Nick. But when you grow up with parents like ours you learn you should at least listen."

I looked at him steadily. I could tell he was dead serious when he said he would listen, but for some reason the words were hard to form. Alan waited patiently as I sat there, not saying a word. When I finally shook my head he just gave me another grin, stood, and patted my shoulder as he past. "Maybe tomorrow then." He said as he closed the door behind him.

I turned over in bed and starred at the wall. I thought of the few things I had remembered. None of them were very good, and all of them made me fear Tulsa. I had gotten this injury there, there was going to be a fight there, there were hoods there. Why should I go back?

I shouldn't. I realized. At least, not right now. I was happy here, and safe. I could stay here, and if I got some memories that made me want to go back I could. But for now I would stay here.

"_But you can't run from this, or else all hell is going to break loose over there."_

I batted the voice away and closed my eyes. I was asleep within moments, and this time I didn't get any annoying visitors in my dreams.

The next morning I woke to the smell of bacon. The clothes I had worn to the bar yesterday were still there, and I pulled the jeans and white t-shirt on and raced to the kitchen. Alan was flipping pancakes and Nick was setting the table. They both looked up and gave me a cheerful good morning.

"Have a good night sleep?" Nick asked as he set the last fork down. I nodded and went and grabbed the napkins to help out. He batted my hand away and pushed me into a chair. "No, no, no." He said firmly, waggling a finger at me. It was so comical I had trouble stifling my laughter. "You are a guest, and guest doesn't work. Why do you think I'm always visiting my friends' houses so often?"

I had to laugh at this point, which made Nick grin as he went to put the napkins with the rest of the setting. When he was done he stepped back and viewed his work, looking quite proud. Alan came forward and set down two plates full to the brim with bacon and pancakes. We all took as much as we could hold and chatted about nothing important.

I was just finishing my third helping when the door banged open and a woman stepped in. The slight aged look on her face told me she was older then Alan. She was wearing a pair of boyish looking jeans and a bright red t-shirt. She had a bandanna tied around her neck, and her blue grey eyes were glaring at Nick.

"What the hell happened yesterday?" She almost shouted, making Nick drop with his fork with a clang. "Why am I hearing this shit about someone passing out in my bar. I swear do you want to give me a bad reputation or what!"

"Calm down Sarah." Nick said quickly, holding up his hands like he was surrendering. I was sinking lower and lower into my seat, hoping the floor would think that this was a good time to swallow me whole. Stupid floor didn't even take it into consideration. "It was our guest, Ponyboy." Nick said quickly; pointing to me as my head slipped under the table suddenly as I fell of my chair, landing with a thump on the ground. "He's got a nasty injury on his head and it hit him with a headache when we were at your bar."

I heard Sarah let out a humph. "If you say so. But if that's the case be careful with him. The town's talking about him enough, we don't need him to go and die." Her head suddenly appeared under the table and she gave me a sly grin. "Don't worry kid; I'm not mad at you. It's this thick head up here that really gets me riled. Why I still let him near my bar is beyond me."

I heard Nick make an indignant noise as I got back into my chair. Alan had already retreated to the kitchen with the dirty dishes, and I could tell by the look on his face that he was trying very hard not to laugh. "I'll see you all later." Sarah said simply. She gave a pointed glare at Nick and slammed the door behind her.

Nick let out a sigh of relief and slumped into his chair. "That was close. Girls alright, but she has a nasty temper. One time she dumped a barrel full of beer on me when I called her a slut. Smelled like a drunk for a week."

That I could believe.

Nick and I did the drying again, and then Nick had to go and do his chores. I wanted to help, but Alan put his foot down. Quite literally actually, I was surprised it didn't go through the floor. "You stay here and relax. I don't want you passing out again." I grumbled and moaned, but eventually agreed.

I made my way to the living room and shifted through the books on the shelf. I picked one called To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and sat down. It was pretty interesting and I found myself really getting into it. The main character may be a little girl, but I liked the story.

I must have read for a couple of hours because the next thing I knew Nick came in and was grabbing himself some water from the kitchen. "Damn its hot out today." He sighed as he slumped onto the floor and leaned up against the couch. He downed his glass of water, wiped his mouth on his arm, and then turned to look at the book I was holding. "So you're a reader to, huh. Both of my parents loved books, so that's why we have so many of them. My brother likes to read to, but I don't really take much to it." He set his cup down and rested his head back, his hat hiding his eyes. "Just confuse me. He's reading this really odd book right now, something about wind. Don't get it one bit.

"I guess I like to read, can't remember, and remember." I said, setting the book down. "And I really like this book, it makes me think."

"If yah ask Alan, I bet he can let you keep it when you go back to wherever you came from."

I felt my face fall at those words. Nick noticed my silence and looked over me. "What's up?" he asked, sounding concerned. "Not another headache?"

I shook my head, and then said, a bit shakily. "I have a feeling I'm from Tulsa. I don't remember any memories or nothing, but when that sheriff said something about Tulsa that was what triggered the headache. And when I was out, I remembered emotions." I told Nick the emotions I remembered.

He looked really serious, and I mean really serious. "Sounds like you may have had a cruddy life back there." He said softly. I nodded; surprised that Nick had understood what I was afraid of. "I really don't know what to tell you Pony. Like you said, you don't remember any actual memories, so we can't go jumping to conclusions." He rested his head back again. "Our offer still stands. Stay as long as you want, and you can decide yourself when you want to go back.

I nodded dumbly, pulling my arms tightly around my chest as if I was cold. "I'll take you up on that offer." I said softly. But as I sat there in silence with Nick, who I had a feeling had dosed off, my brain began to work. The more and more I thought about it, the more I decided I defiantly did not want to go back.

Author's Note: Uh oh, looks like Pony isn't going to be ready to head back to Tulsa any time soon. That's going to make things complicated when….well, lets just say when certain things happen.


	9. Interrogating Kevin

Title: Memories

Chapter Nine: Interrogating Kevin

Author's Note: Okay, I have to mention for this chapter, that I know squat about cars. I tried to look up on the internet how many seats a mustang has, but couldn't fin a good sight. I think the gang should be able to fit in the car, but if its not possible then I am really, really sorry. But they need to have the car now, its part of my plot. If someone knows a lot about cars, or at least knows how many seats a mustang has, please tell me so I can come up with a way to fix the story.

The second thing is; DUDE I GOT A LOT OF REVIEWS. So far I got twenty, and that is awesome. Thank you to all my reviewers, especially AddictionToFiction who gave me the idea of changing my rating to T, which I have a feeling is the reason I am now getting so many reviews.

Please continue reviewing, I love to hear you guys' opinions.

I tore down the street behind Darry, taking a corner so tight I almost tripped. The kid Shepard had sent to get us had finally caught up with us and was leading the way. Damn, why can't he go faster? We needed to get there now!

My heart was pumping at a million beats a second and I thought my blood was going to boil over any second. This guy Kevin knew what had happened to Ponyboy, and he was going to tell us where he was or I swear I would kill him. Actually, I may just kill him anyways. Steve looked as serious as I felt, even though there was still a bit of blood on his face. I couldn't see Two Bit and Darry, they were ahead of me.

We spotted the red mustang up ahead, parked on the side of the road next to a lamp pole. A bunch of tough looking guys were standing around the car, all looking extremely bad tempered. How they had gotten Kevin to stop, I really didn't want to know. In the center of the little group was Tim Shepard, clutching an extremely frightened and beat up Soc as if he were a trophy. He had a pleased look on his face, and at the sight of up he pulled the Soc up off the ground and onto his knees.

The Soc had hair the color of hey and shifty grey eyes. I locked his image into my memory, marking him as the one who had taken my little brother away from me. I stormed forward, drawing my fist back to hit him, hard. But at the last second a strong hand grabbed my shirt and pulled me back.

I turned to look up at Darry, and even though he was my brother and I knew he would never hurt me, I still felt a shiver go down my spine from the look on his face. Crap, I forgot how truly scary he could become. His eyes were colder then ice, and seemed to pour hate and raged. His whole body was tense, making his muscles bunch under his white t-shirt. He looked ready to kill, and probably was.

He let go of my shirt and I stepped out of the way. I could tell Darry wanted to handle this. Shepard seemed to get that too because he let go of his prize without question as Darry swooped down and lifted the Soc high in the air by his shirt front. The kid started to gasp and squirm furiously, but there was no way he would get out of Darry's grip.

"Where is my brother?" Darry said slowly, his voice dripping with malice. When Kevin didn't answer Darry turned and slammed him against the light pole. He let out a scream and I thought I heard something crack. He now had a few broken ribs to add to his injury list.

"Where's Ponyboy?" Darry almost screamed. "You know; the kid you chased down, tossed a bottle at, and then drove off with him in your trunk! Tell me right now or I swear I will beat the tar out of you."

Kevin stammered something so fast I didn't think it counted as English. Clearly Darry hadn't understood him because he began to shake the kid. "Alright, alright, alright!" Kevin screamed, his voice sounding funny from being shook so hard. "I'll tell you what I did, just don't kill me."

"I can't promise that." Two Bit said coldly, hitting his fist into his palm. He had that cool, calm look on his face, but the way his eyes were glowing told me he was ready for a fight. I agreed with Two Bit. This Soc already had a death wish from touching Pony at all.

Kevin gulped loudly, but must have thought it better to keep talking. "After we threw the bottle at him he went down hard. I had no clue what to do. I put him in my trunk and drove him past the border to an old dirt rode. It's called Deserted Junction, and I knew there's nothing there for miles. There was no way anyone would find him. I dumped him on the side of the rode. I thought he was dead, I couldn't tell, and I didn't want to get a murder rap."

My breath stopped at those words. Pony, dead? No, it just couldn't be true. He couldn't be dead, not after surviving all that shit last year. We had come so close to losing him to many times, we just couldn't lose him now.

At the word 'death' Darry seemed to slump slightly. His head sagged forward and his grip loosened on Kevin's shirt. There was a long pause, no one saying anything. Darry seemed to come out of his trance because he said coldly. "Shepard, mind doing me a favor. I will really owe you for it."

"What yah need." Shepard asked solemnly.

"I want you to take this kid down to the tracks, tie him up, and toss him in one of the cars going far, far away. I don't care where; just make sure its leaving the state or something. Make sure he can't make any noise either; don't want anyone finding him before the train starts. Leave him there; let the train take him away." He looked up slowly. I couldn't see his face from where I was standing, but Kevin seemed to die on the spot and the people who could see his face all took a step back. "I see you again, I will kill you."

With that he dropped him and stepped back. Shepard's gang swarmed around Kevin before he could move, and I heard him screaming as they took him away. Only Shepard glanced back as he left, an apologetic look on his face. I had a feeling Shepard pitied what we were going through. He had a little brother too.

That left just me, Darry, Steve and Two Bit. Two Bit looked pale, and his eyes were wide. I was sure Steve would throw up any minute, I didn't no skin could turn that shade of green. I still couldn't see Darry's face; he was leaning up against the pole with his head in his hands.

Me, I thought I could just die, right here and now. Pony could be dead. And this wasn't me coming up with the worse scenario on some dark night, this was real. Kevin had thought he had been dead, it had been that bad. And even if he wasn't dead, anything could have happened to him. If he had followed the road back here he would have past right through Soc territory, and that would mean he would be dead for sure. Or worse; that thought made me shudder. And if he hadn't, he could be all alone, lost somewhere. Probably thinking his big brother's would have saved him by now. Shit, shit, shit, shit.

I wiped the tears that were streaming down my face, trying not to cry again. Crying wouldn't help Pony, and I was turning into a bawler. But it was hard. Every time I tried to choke them down they just came up stronger.

I heard Darry let out a long breath and looked up as he straightened. His face was set in grim determination. "We got to get over there; there could be some chance we can figure out where he went."

"What if he's still there?" Steve asked quietly, his voice cracking from emotion. I knew what he meant, and I couldn't hold back a sob.

"He's not dead." Darry said firmly. "I will not give up on Ponyboy, not till I'm staring at his body. Now come on, we got to get to my truck."

We all turned to head back to the house, but stopped at Two Bit's shout. "Why should we go in a piece of rust when we can go in style?" He walked over to the mustang and pulled the keys from the ignition, which Kevin had left. He was grinning broadly as he tossed the keys to Darry. "Keep it as a gift from Kevin, you guys deserve it, and he clearly doesn't."

We all couldn't help but grin at this. At least one good thing had happened. We were probably the only greasers with a mustang, and I personally couldn't wait to see everyone's face when they saw us driving around in it, especially the Socs. We all climbed into the car, it was a real tight fit but it worked. Darry turned the key and the car started immediately, and the car roared to life.

Darry tore of down the road, and just for a moment we were all enjoying ourselves. But then the weight of what was happening settled in, and we all became our depressed selves. For the longest time there was nothing but silence, and then Darry glanced at Two Bit and asked. "So, what is this about a 'piece of rust' that you seemed to refer to as my truck?"

I had to laugh at how pale Two Bit became.


	10. Discovery

Chapter Ten: Discovery

Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry it took so long. I kind of got a lot on my hands, and lost track of time. I will try really hard to get the next chapter to you sooner, and hope you guys will be patient with me and keep reviewing.

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVE HAVING SO MANY.

"How the hell can't there be anything here!" Two Bit shouted a few feet behind me. He straightened up and chucked a rock across the dirt road, where it landed with a clunk somewhere in the tall grass.

We had been searching Deserted Junction for the past three hours, and so far we had seen no sign of Pony, or anything else for that matter. Place was deserted for miles around, and I was beginning to wonder why they even put a road here.

"It may be a good thing he isn't here." Soda said hopefully as he came walking back, Steve at his shoulder.

"Yeah," Steve muttered. "No body." He quickly shut his mouth on the look on Soda's face.

"Soda's right," I said quickly. "If Pony isn't here that means he was well enough to get up and walk." I turned and looked in the direction we had driven, and then glanced the other way. "Pony has a good enough head to stick to the rode. But the question is, which way did he go?"

"We could split up." Two Bit said. "Soda and you could take the car and go that way, and Steve and I could start walking toward Tulsa."

We all thought that was the best idea, so Soda and I climbed back into the car and left those two on the side of the road, Steve gripping about having to walk all the way back.

We drove at a slow speed in silence for a while, both scanning the scenery for any sign of people. I could almost feel Soda become more and more desperate as time passed and we saw nothing. Finally, when I heard a choked sob from the seat next to me, I stopped the car and turned toward him.

Soda looked really small at that moment, like a child lost a sea of people. His hands were clasped in his lap, but I could tell that they were shaking. His skin was a sickly pale color, and there were dark bags under his eyes. He was pointing not looking at me, but I could tell by the way his shoulders were shaking that he was shaking.

"Sodapop…" I called softly. Soda only sniffed in reply. "Honey," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright."

"No its not!" Soda screamed, and tore out the door. I quickly stumbled out and followed him as he began to walk away from the car. "Who are we kidding ourselves? Pony's dead, that's all there is to it. He's dead, and died, lost and alone out in this godforsaken place, thinking his brother's would actually love him enough to save him."

I caught him as he crumpled to the ground, but he just shoved me away and knelt there in the ground, rubbing his eyes furiously to get rid of the tears. "I'm fine." He choked out.

"It's okay to be mad about all this." I told him quietly. "All of this sucks, big time. It may look like there is no hope, but if we give up on Ponyboy, we really have abandoned him." Soda glanced over his shoulder at me, and I gave him a gentle smile. "We'll find him; we'll take him home, lock him in his room, and never let him out, ever, EVER again."

Soda nodded his head, and he let me help him to his feet. "How can you keep this up?" Soda asked him as I led him to the car. "Doesn't it drive you insane?"

I laughed, and but my arm around Soda's shoulder. "I've lived with you most of my life. I chucked my sanity out the window years ago.

To tell you the truth, I really didn't know. All I really knew is that I didn't give up the last time Pony disappeared, and he came back. Maybe it would work this time.

We drove for at least a half and hour, before we came to a place where the road connected with another and it looked as if people had been here in the last century. Finally, we spotted houses up ahead, and what you would have to call a town came into view.

"Damn," Soda whistled from the passenger seat as we parked the car. "This place is tiny. What happened to the rest of it?"

"I think this is it." I said as I stepped out of the car.

"Pity the people that live here." Soda said.

We walked to the end of the town and back, but saw nothing that would help us out. There were a total of three people out and about, and they all ignored us. The only place that looked lively was a bar, which had voices drifting from an open door.

"A drink sounds really good right now." Soda said, wiping the sweat from his brow. I had to agree with him, it must have been over a hundred out here.

"Yeah, let's get a drink." I agreed. "We can ask if anyone has seen Pony too."

There were five people sitting at the bar, and two people serving. The woman behind the bar looked up the second we entered, and a frown appeared on her face as she studied us. "City folks, huh?" She said casually.

"Guess we don't exactly fit in around here." Soda said with a shrug, giving her a sly grin. It didn't work one bit.

"What are city rats doing around here?" She said quizzically, her tone making everyone look up. The sheriff, at the end of the bar, gave us an apprehensive look, the three men whispered amongst one another, and the teenager who had been talking to the woman gazed at us curiously from under his hat.

"Were looking for someone." I said quickly, putting a hand over Soda's mouth to cut off a retort. "A teenager, only fifteen. He answers to the name Ponyboy, and would have been through here a couple days ago. Have you seen him?"

The woman exchanged glances with the teenager, who put his drink down and shifted in his seat. "Depends." The woman said cautiously, folding her arms over her chest. "What do you want with him?"

"He's are brother." I said firmly, taking a step forward. "And we've been searching for him ever sense he was jumped by a bunch of Socs."

"Jumped?" The kid cut in quickly before the woman could respond. "What happened to him?"

Soda spit on my hand and I quickly withdrew it. "He got chassed down by some Socs and got a bottle chucked at his head. Would have had a big gash on his forehead."

"And a memory wipe." The teenager added. He stood up and walked over to us, taking off his hat as he did. "Name's Nick, and your brother Ponyboy has been staying with me and my brother for the last couple of days."

My heart stopped as it leapt into my throat, cutting off my air. Pony was alive, Pony was here! "Where is he?" Soda shouted, grabbing the kid by the arms and shaking him violently. "Is he alright, is he doing okay, is he-."

"Calm down." Nick shouted, grabbing Soda's hands and forcing him off. "Pony's fine. Got a nice gash on his head, and like I said no memory, but other then that he has been doing okay."

"No memory." I said quickly. "You mean it's completely gone."

Nick nodded, looking me up and down as if sizing me up. "And I thought Alan was huge." He muttered under his breath. "We found him unconscious on our front porch. When he woke, he knew his name, and that was about it."

I couldn't fathom not having any memories, and it must have been scaring the shit out of Ponyboy. "We have to see him." I said quickly. "Can you take us to him?"

"Of course." Nick said, and put his hat back on. "Put that beer on my tab." He called to the woman, and quickly ran out the door as the woman chucked the empty glass at him. Soda and I exchanged confused glances but followed him out the door without saying anything.

Nick lead us back toward the middle of the town again and made a sharp turn. He led us to a farm we hadn't spotted, and up to a small house tucked away there. "Alan." He called as he entered.

"Nick!" A voice called from outside, and we turned to see a large version of Nick running toward us from the barn. He skidded to a halt at the sight of us, his face hardening as he squared his shoulders.

"Where's Ponyboy." Nick asked quickly as he came back outside.

"Don't worry," Alan said, still glaring at us. "He already ran for it?"

"WHAT?"


	11. Understanding Between Brother's

Author's Note:

Hehehe, sorry to keep you guys waiting. I would offer you something longer, but I was typing fast and I wanted to give you something. Its hasn't been edited at all, so I apologies ahead of time for my terrible grammer and spelling. I'll write you more, and then come back and edit it all.

For now, I hope this is enough to satisfy you 48 hours or so.

Now, I'm never one to toot my own horn, but I had to admit I was pretty damn smart to think of what to do in a situation like this.

_FLASHBACK _

_"Remind me again why Nick didn't have his lazy ass over here helping us?" Pony grumbled for the third time as he rubbed the shoulder he had been lugging the sack of grain on. He shot a glare at me. "If I broke something I am so suing your ass." _

_I laughed and ruffled his hair like I did with Nick when he was in one of those moods. "Would have gotten the guy to help us, but he had done all the morning chores for me so I owed him. Besides, I thought you wanted to get out of the house." _

_Pony let out a huff and batted away my hand. "So I turn from prisoner to slave in the blink of a eye?" He cocked one eyebrow, and I had to laugh again because he was so funny when he did that. "What's next." _

_"Horse crap cleaner." I said in a mock stern voice and we both started laughing. _

_We were coming close to the town now, and I could almost the cold beer in my mouth. One of our customers lived pretty far out of town, but I knew, no matter how much Ponyboy complained, he did want to get out, so I hadn't taken the truck but had walked with him. _

_As we rounded the familiar path and the first few buildings sprang, I felt something was wrong, out of place. I felt it before I even saw the car. It was a really nice, realy expensive car, and I knew no one for miles around here had something like that. _

_I opened my mouth to ask Ponyboy about it, but stopped in my tracks. He was no longer next to me. I whipped around to see him collapsed on the ground, his hands on his head, his eyes shut tight. _

_I tore over to him and slid on my knees next to him. I could tell he was having another episode, and I would bet anything that it was because of that car. _

_I carefully gathered him up and rested his head on my lap. "Ponyboy." I whispered cautiously, but didn't get any answer. _

_He was muttering to himself now, sometimes shaking his head back and forth, but otherwise laying still. I leaned closer to him, trying to make out the words. "Socs…don't hurt me…Socs…mustangs…no,no,NO!" _

_I quickly withdrew my head as he screamed the last part, knowing I had lost hearing. Socs, that didn't sound good. I glanced over my shoulder at the mustang. Socs were in town, and from the few facts I had I could guess they were the ones that hurt Ponyboy. _

_I quickly gathered him up in my arms and raced toward the house. I had to get him away from danger, NOW, and then had to track down Nick. My heart did a flip flop at the thought of Nick facing those thugs, but I knew if the boy had free time he would be at the bar, and there were friendly faces to back him up there. So, Pony first, then Nick. _

_But Pony was in no shape to run for it. What the hell could I do? As I reached the farm I slowed, my head darting back and forth. As my eyes landed on the barn for a second time, a idea flickered to life in my mind. _

_I tore the doors open the best I could and raced into the semi darkness of the building. I was somehow able to climb the ladder to the hey loft with Pony slung over my shoulder, and once I was there I dumped him into the hey. I covered him up the best I could, and then went back outside, locking the door behind me._

_END FLASHBACK_

So, Pony was safe inside the barn, as long as these two never found out.

I sized them both up quickly. I found myself in the rare occasion thinking that I had found someone who could be my equal in a fight. The guy was as tall and as ripped as me, but it was the look in his ice blue eyes that was causing a twitch of fear. He looked ready to kill.

The other one was no whimp, but in a fight I could snap him in half. He looked half ready to fight half ready to scream, and being in between those two feelings was ripping him apart.

"What do you mean run?" Nick spoke up, breaking the silence.

I looked over at him, and our eyes met, and I begged that somehow we had a strong enough brotherly connection for Nick to understand me. He didn't need to get the whole picture, just had to let me handle things.

For a long, long minute we stood there, and I began to worry I was just asking to much. But then, something clicked in his eyes, and he walked over to me and stood by my side, facing the other two. At that moment, I knew Nick would follow my lead.

"We are not letting a bunch of Socs get a hold of Ponyboy." I said coldly as I turned back to face the two.

I seemed to hit a nerve. The big one let out a noise that sounded like a guard dog growling and the other one's eyes got huge. "We arn't Socs." He cried out indignatly. "Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"Saw you mustang parked on the edge of town." I said curtly. To be truthful, it had been Pony's episode that made me believe these guys were Socs, but I wouldn't tell them that now. I wanted to keep anything I could a secret.

"We stole that from some Socs." The bigger one said, and I could tell from his voice that he wanted to stop talking now and start swinging. I knew the feeling. But he was holding himself back, and I was guessing he knew he would never be able to find Ponyboy without our help.

I didn't believe that stealing shit and it must have shown on my face because he let out another low growl and said. "Look, I'm Darry and this is Soda. Were his brothers, for god sake, and have been looking for him ever sense he got jumped."

That made my eyebrows raise. This was a turn of events. Saying they were family was the last thing I had expected. I didn't see why they would go that far, unless they actually were his brother's. But how could I know for sure?

"Why should I believe that?" I replied stiffly.

Nick nodded his head in agreement and folded his arms over his chest. "Prove it." He said firmly.

Soda looked lost at what to do. He opened his mouth to say something, and then it weakly clossed again. But Darry, on the other hand, seemed to change. He turned his head away and slowly reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. From the inside he pulled out a slighlty warn out piece of paper, which after a moment I realized was a picture.

"Here." He said, as he clossed the distance between us and held it up so I could see it easily. It was a picture of three boys. The smallest one was obvioulsly Ponyboy, though with no gash on his head and a light in his eyes that was barely there now. The one's flanking, I finally decided after a good, hard look, were Darry and Soda.

"That's taken in front of our house when Ponyboy was ten." Darry's voice startled me, because it had changed suddenly. It was no longer cold and hard, but full of emotion. If I had to guess, I would have said he was holding back tears. I looked up at him as he kept on talking. "The kid may not use his head, but he has something no greaser has ever had. He loves books, can never get his head out of them, and forgets to do his chores because he is busy watching the sunsets." He paused for a moment, and then whispered. "If I had done something that day I could have stopped this from happening. And now I will do anything to get him back."

It came as a understanding. Two men, burden with a load someone there age shouldn't know. Both were brother's, desperate to keep there small family together. And when that understanding came the doubt fled my mind, and I knew they were telling the truth.

"He didn't run." I said, the anger and coldness leaving my voice. I pointed with a thumb over my shoulder. "He's in the barn, up in the hey loft."

For a moment my words didn't rejisture. Then, very slowly, I saw hope spring up, warming the ice blue eyes. Soda caught on even quicker, because he started off toward the barn, but I quickly threw out an arm.

"There's some stuff you got to know." I said quickly when I saw the kid's eyes flash at being stopped from seeing his brother. "Give me to seconds to explain," I added. "Its really important if you don't want to cause even more shit for Ponyboy."

Soda nodded his head, and both brother's looked expectantly at me. "Pony has no memory, nothing but when he woke up on the side of the road. He has been regaining some memmories, though I don't know what sense he hasn't been that talkitive about them, but its hell the way he gets them. He sees something that triggers a episode, and that's blinding pain in his head that lead to him being knocked out." I looked at them both firmly. "I have no clue what's going to happen when he sees you, but be prepared for the worst."

Soda had paled at the information, but he nodded his head firmly and began to run toward the barn, Nick close on his heels. Darry nodded as well, but he stopped to take the time to put the picture in its rightful place in his wallet.

"Carry that everywhere?" I asked, like we were disscussing the weather.

He nodded once, fingeringering the edge of the picture that stuck out of the slot he put it in. "Thinking of having one taken again if..." His voice trailed off and I watched as he tried to square his shoulders.

"You should have another one taken **when **you're all together again." I said firmly.

Darry looked up at me, and then nodded his head again, and together we started off toward the barn.


	12. Information

Author's Note: Looky, Looky, another chapter. Looky, looky...it is once again not edited. My apologies, once again, I know I am being lazy, so scold me if you must, but I hope you'll still read and review.

On that note, I have an announcment. My goal is to reach 50 reviews, and as you can see I am very close. So, help me reach it, and I'll have a suprise for you all. And I won't tell you what it is until I have 50 reviews.

So read and enjoy!!!!

_I was running as fast as my legs could carry me, a small flame of hope burning in my chest as I spotted the house up ahead. I would be safe, as long as I got there..._

_Pain exploded in my head as I hit the ground hard. My vision blurred and blackened as something wet dripped down my face to redden the dirt beneath me. I had a blurry memory of people standing over me, of pain as I was kicked in the side, of being in a small, dark, cramped space, and of being thrown out on the side of the road and left there._

_The Socs had gotten me, and were leaving me to die._

_"Ponyboy, stop the screaming. For gods sakes cut it out!"_

_I cried and I cried. I wanted to be home so badly it hurt. I wanted to be far from the Socs, with my family, my-._

_CRACK!_

_I think I got whipslash from that slap as my head was whipped to one side. The screams and cries died in my throat, and so did the pain in my head, to be replaced with a dull burn in my cheek from where the hand had struck me._

_"Don't hit him." A worried voice cried as I got my bearings and became aware of my surroundings. I saw endless blakcness surrounding me and I let out a long groan. Not these two again._

_"He was breaking my fucking ear drums." The taller one shot back, and he lit yet another smoke and took a long drag from it. One of these days I was just going to bring a squirt bottle here and spray it right in his face when he lit one of those. Of course, it would probably be the last thing I did, but I would get some sick, twisted pleasure from it to be sure._

_"You know," I said sarcastically as I rubbed my bright red cheek. "Those things kill yah."_

_"Little late for that." The guy laughed as he waved the smoke in the air, leaving a trail of quickly vanishing grey smoke. "Already dead."_

_I could only blink at this new information, and that made the guy laugh again. "So you don't have those memmories yet, huh? Well," He paused, looking thoughtful. It was a weird look for him, really didn't fit his features to well. "I guess that is a good thing." He said after a moment. "Would scare the shit out of me even."_

_He was dead. Which meant they had been living before. Which meant they weren't some crazy, twisted things I had created in my insanity. I wanted to ask more, but didn't get the chance._

_"What did you remeber now, Ponyboy?" The shorter one asked me, and his kind voice was a relief to the other's sarcastic attitude. To tell yah the truth, I was still shaking like a leaf from what had just happened, and I would be anything I was sickly pale at the moment. _

_"Socs." I said, trying to stop my voice from quivering. "And how I ended up on the side of the road that first day I could remeber."_

_The smaller one nodded his head, and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We know this is hard." He said softly. He hesitated for a moment, but seemed to gather the courage to say. "But if you went back to Tulsa, it could be easier."_

_I tried hard not to laugh. "Why the hell are you guys so bent on me going to that hell?" I growled, restraining myself from shouting._

_"It may be hell, but its your hell sweet hell." The taller one said firmly, pointing the end of his ciggerette at me. "And you're going to have to face that."_

_"Not if I can help it..." I mumbled under my breath as I looked away from him._

_There was a long moment of silence. The tall one just stood there, smoking away, looking out into the distance and acting as if this whole meeting held no real importance with him, but the smaller one looked like he was thinking fast. "Tell yah what, Ponyboy." He finally said. "I'll make you a deal. You go back to Tulsa, and I'll tell you anything you want to know."_

_I looked up from my sneakers and into his eyes, and I knew he wasn't kidding. The taller one looked suprised, then serious, then looked like he was going to say something but the smaller one threw him a look, and, thank god, for once he shut his mouth and remained silent."But its only one thing." He said quickly as he turned back to me. He held up one finger to make sure I got the picture. "But it can be anything, anything you want to know."_

_I opened my mouth, clossed it again, and did that two or three times more. At the tall ones sly comment about me looking like a fish out of water I quickly snapped it shut and starred at the smaller guy again. Anything I wanted to know... and sense I was a guy who didn't know much, the possibilities seeemed endless. _

_But, what did I want to know? That was to broad of a question for me to even think of answering. It wasn't just what I wanted to know, I realized then, but what I wanted to know that would make going back to Tulsa easier. So far it sounded like a place I would want to stay as far as I could away from._

_"What is in Tulsa that would make me want to go back?" It had been just a thought, but I ended up saying it instead, and by the time I was done saying it I knew it was right._

_The two exchanged glances, and then said at the same time. "Sodapop and Darry."_

_I quirked one eyebrow, and the taller one burst out laughing. "Wha-." I began to say, but he stopped suddenly and threw out a hand. _

_"Remeber, only one thing." The smaller one said quickly. _

_"But if it will help any, I'll tell you something." The taller one added. "But you don't get to pick what I tell yah." He tossed away his smoke and put his hands on his hips. The pose would have been kind of comical if he didn't have a serious look on his face. "Ask Darry for his wallet when you wake up."_

_I starred at him blankly._

_"Just do it." He said firmly, leaving no room for argument. _

_"You know." I said as an afterthought. "I would like you two a lot better if yah didn't do this pain shit every time I see you." I rubbed my head gingerly. Even the thought of those headaches made my skull twinge. I bet I was getting brain damage from all of this. "I mean, if you want to have a chat, just put me to sleep or something."_

_"Pains for the bad memories." The smaller one replied. "It won't happen with a good one." He said this as if he was obvious, and I raised one eyebrow again. This just kept getting weirder and weirder. How much did these two know, anyway. I was even begining to believe the tall ones bit about being able to read my mind. Though, if that was true, I was in serious trouble._

_"Okay, shut it." The taller one said firmly. "Now were tellin him to much." The smaller one clossed his mouth, and I got annoyed real quick again. Now that the information had stopped flowing I remebered that I was pissed off._

_"To much." I barked. "You barely giving me anything to work with here."_

_"Quit your whinning, you'll do just fine." The taller one said, and pushed me backwards._

Its an odd sensation, to fall and not realize your falling. I sure didn't, until I hit something solid. There was an 'umph', from the solid object and I was falling again, except now I was coherent enough to shout as we hit something again with a thud. More falling, and then a much louder thump as we hit something extremly solid and unmovible.

By the way the ground was twitching and swearing a lot underneath me, I could tell it was not the ground at all but a person. Two of them, in fact. I was at the top of this little heap, laying flat on my back and starring up at the barn's roof.

"Will you get the hell off!" Nick's familiar voice cut through my blank brain and I quickly scrambled to my feet. Nick swore a few more times as he got up to. "What the hell was Alan thinking, putting you so damn close to the edge. Would have cracked your neck if you hadn't had us to land on."

When he first said us, my brain registured the word as Nick and Alan. But the second voice, which was swearing even more colorfully then Nick as he got up, was not Alan at all.

I turned around...

You ever gone someplace you had only gone to when you were really young, and have that strange feeling you should remeber the place, but don't? Well, that was as close as I could come to explaining what I felt as I starred at the guy. It was at that moment, as I starred at this person I knew I should remeber, that it trully hit me how little I remebered, how much of a empty shell I was. It had been easy to shove aside these last couple of days, but now it hit me so hard I almost staggered backwards. I starred and I starred, but all I could see was a guy in his late teens, with movie star looks, a great head of hair, and kind eyes.

As I watched the emotion in those eyes turned from annoyance, to pure shock, and then to a bright and burning joy. He took a step toward me, opened his mouth, but something made him stop. I don't know if it was the unregisturing look in my eyes or the way my face was wearily set, but he stopped just the same. The pure joy seemed to crack as some great weight landed on his shoulders.

He finally was able to gain his voice again and spoke. "Ponyboy." His voice was a cracked whisper, hope and fear riding on every letter. "Its me. Soda, your brother."


	13. Found and Lost Again

Author's Note: Wow, I actually wrote a new chapter for this. I don't know where it came from. I stopped because, honestly, this was as far as I planned the story. I didn't know what to do now. But then today I was just looking it over again for kicks and suddenly got a few ideas in my head. I'm going to see where this goes, but at least you got a nCew chapter out of this, for anyone who is still reading this.

Disclaimer: Don't only anything, sadly. Though don't take my original characters without permission. I know street fighting!

Chapter Thirteen: Found and Lost Again

"Next time we get the car." Two-bit groaned as he flopped onto the couch.

I had to agree with him. I thought my legs were going to fall off. I had never walked that far. Probably lost a couple of pounds. I leaned back in Darry's chair and rubbed my hand over my face. Miles suddenly seemed a greater distance when you had to walk it, not drive it. Especially when half the way you have to keep out of sight, so you no one can spot the greasers in soc territory.

"Do you think Darry and Soda found anything?" Two-bit asked the question both of us were wondering, his tired voice holding a note of hopefulness.

"I really don't have a damn clue." I admitted. I actually had a long list of things I hoped they didn't find. The first one was a body. I don't think my best friend could handle something like that without cracking. Actually, I knew Soda couldn't handle something like that without snaping. I wasn't sure if Darry could handle it either. "We're not going to know until they either come home or call us. But that could not be for several…"

My voice faded away as the phone suddenly rang.

Me and Two-bit starred at it for three rings before Two-bit finally answered it.

"Hello?" He listened for several minutes, frowning. "Slow down, Darry. You're voice is higher then Mickey Mouse's. Now what the hell are you going on about?"

More silence on our end. I could make out a buzzing noise coming from the phone, which I guess was Darry yelling a few choice words at Two-bit.

"Wow Darry, even I didn't know that last word. I didn't know you could swear that well." Two-bit laughed. His face froze, and then sank into shock. "You what…Really?...Shit, I mean…Is he okay?..."

I sat up, slowly piecing everything together.

"I'm going to kill those Socs." Two-Bit growled. "Damn, this isn't good…yeah, I get what your saying…of course we can, my cars still out front…I think I know where that is…Yeah, we'll be there as soon as we can..."

He listened for another moment and then hung up. "What was that about?" I asked quickly, my heart threatening to crack my ribs, it was beating so hard.

"Darry and Soda." Two-bit said as he jumped up from the couch. I followed him out the door and to his truck, still parked out front. He started up the engine as soon as we were both in and tore off down the road.

"Did they find Ponyboy?" I murmured. Dear god, don't let him be dead. I know he's a pain, and always tagging along when Soda and me when were trying to have fun and pick up a few girls. But he's Soda's kid brother, one of the gang. We can't lose another one, not again. I would miss the little annoyance and it would leave Darry and Soda a mess.

"Yeah." Two-Bit murmured. He didn't sound happy about it, and I swallowed hard, preparing for the worse.

"Is he…?"

"He's not dead." Two-bit snapped. "But he is sure as hell not alright. He's screwed up in the head because of the damn bottle the Soc threw at him. Apparently he lost his memory, and when he saw Darry and Soda…"

He trailed off. I knew this wasn't good. My imagination tried to come up with an idea of what had gone on at the reunion of those three, but I didn't like the pictures it painted. They made me shudder in my seat and grab the door so hard until my fingers turned white.

"He just kind of left; mentally, I mean." Two-bit finally murmured. "The lights are on, but no one's home. They haven't been able to get a answer from him for a while, no matter what they try. And by the sounds of it those two have tried anything to get him to talk." He paused, and then added. "Its scaring the shit out of Darry and Soda."

I bet. Darry was already tearing himself up over this whole situation. If Pony didn't get better, and Darry blamed himself…I didn't want to think on what would happen.

Silence fell. I couldn't sit still and kept shifting my seat. As we left the city behind a thought came to me and I asked. "Where has he been all this time?"

"Apparently he has been staying on this farm with these two guys in the middle of nowhere." Two-bit informed me as we passed the place we had parted with the Curtis brothers. "They found him on their front porch, passed out in their rocking chair. That's all I really know about them."

I didn't know what to make of that. At least it was better then Pony being by himself for the last few days. Of course, I couldn't picture anyone-except maybe the Curtis family-who would do something like that. Not everyone in this grim world was that nice. Still, hadn't even met the guys and I was already thinking of them as saints or angels or some other of that crap.

It took me a moment to realize the handful of buildings we reached was a town. I also think the small crowd that was waiting for us was probably the entire male population, plus one female.

"You with the Curtis boys." A very, ver scary looking woman with one big shotgun in her hand demanded as soon as we pulled up to the Socs stolen car.

"Yeah." Two-bit said quickly as he eyed the weapon. We both raised our hands like we were facing the cops. I had no doubt in my mind that this woman wouldn't think twice about putting a couple of unnatural holes in us. "No need to shoot. We come in peace, and would like to leave in one piece."

"This is for whoever these Socs are if they show up." The woman explained as she gestured with the gun. She pointed of toward a barn and a lone house a bit away from the rest of the place. "Your friends are there. They should be waiting for you."

"I don't think the Socs will show up." I called as we ran. "They have enough to deal with back at home. But if they do, they're going to be the stuck up, stick-in-ass, poorly dressed, rich trash!"

The woman shrugged and called out a thanks for the description, but they seemed ready to keep their watch.

We reached the farm in record time, but were gasping for air as we ran up to the porch. My chest tightened at the sight of Soda, slumped in a old, creaky rocking chair. His elbows were resting on his knees and his face was buried in his hands. He looked like a complete and total wreck.

"Are you okay?" I asked quickly as I ran up to him. Two-bit ran inside.

For a minute he didn't answer me, and then he mumbled something into his hands that I couldn't understand.

"What?"

"He didn't even recognize me." His voice cracked horribly as he lifted his face a few inches from his hand. "He looked at me like I was some stranger. Like he was afraid of me."

Ow, that must have hurt. I knew how close the brother's were, and that probably just killed Soda.

But he was still talking and I knelt down next to chair as he went on. "And when I told him who I was his face got all blank and his eyes glazed over. He just stood there, not talking or nothing. We took him into the house, but he won't talk or speak to any of us. He's just sitting their, staring off into space."

Suddenly Soda was off of the chair and had punched the wall, hard (that must have hurt). His face was livid. "You should see his head! When I get a hold of that Soc I am going to kill him. he's all smashed up and as skinny as a twig and so pale he's turning green! He's sick and scared and helpless and I can't do anything…"

He fell to his knees and I caught him before he hit the floor. We sat their against the wall. I thought Soda was going to cry again. I usually don't like people crying all the time, but like hell I was going to blame him for breaking down in shitty situations like this.

But he didn't. He breathed in and out real deeply for a long time. It seemed he was only concentrating on that. Finally, it seemed he had calmed down some, and just starred off into space.

I just sat next to him, not sure what to do. I got a vibe from Soda that he really didn't want to talk for a while, so I just sat their and we didn't talk together.

The door opened after a while, and some strange guy about Pony's age stuck his head out. He looked really worried as he looked all around the yard and then at the porch before turning to us.

"Um, have you guys seen Pony?"

I blinked once before leaping to my feet and yelling. "You've lost him."

The kid jumped back several feet, putting distance between us. It was probably a good idea at the moment, because I had this deep, primal need to kill something. "Not lost him, just misplaced him." He answered quickly, voice rising slightly in panic. "For some strange reason he asked for Darry's wallet and then went to his room. We think he climbed out the window."

I looked toward Soda, who had lost all of the calmness he had been trying to get back and was shaking like a leaf where he knelt.

Aw shit.


End file.
